You have probably heard of author Eckhart Tolle and his connection with Oprah Winfrey. What with Tolle’s bestselling book A New Earth, its repeated promotion on Oprah’s talk show, and the online course they are running together, they have become pretty difficult to miss.
Unfortunately, for many people, it seems that the true message of A New Earth has proved all too easy to miss.
Let me cut right to the chase: Tolle’s supposedly groundbreaking message is simply the same old New Age thinking in pretty packaging. While Tolle acknowledges something wrong with the human condition (what Christians call “sin”), he preaches the need not for repentance and salvation, but for a new “awakening.”
This involves looking deep within the self for peace and harmony, not looking to Christ. There is nothing new or revolutionary—and definitely nothing Christian—about it. It is paganism. It even seems some who claim Christ are getting caught up in the Tolle phenomenon.
Of course, it is easy to see the attraction. I can contribute to global peace by making life all about me? Who would not want that? It is the oldest temptation there is: letting ourselves be convinced that we “shall be like God.” But as Tolle and his followers do not seem to grasp, that is precisely what is wrong with the human condition in the first place: setting oneself up as God with all the resulting egoism, selfishness, and misery that entails.
At our own blog, The Point, there have been some fairly heated conversations about this phenomenon. There are those who claim that, simply because Tolle talks about God, that should make his teachings acceptable to all who believe in God. (These people, presumably, are unfamiliar with the reminder in James chapter 2 that “even the demons” believe in God).
The real evil, in these people’s eyes, is for members of any one particular faith to claim that it points the way to truth. And that, of course, undercuts Christianity. Even as Oprah Winfrey—Tolle’s patron—claims to still be a believer in Christ, she calls this the most exciting project in her life.
In a popular video on YouTube, when asked a direct question about how she can reconcile belief in Christianity with belief in Tolle’s message, Oprah states: “I reconciled it because I was able to open my mind about the absolute indescribable hugeness of that which we call God. I took God out of the box.”
She says she got tired of “rules” and “doctrines,” and particularly of the Scriptural idea that God is a “jealous God.” “Something about that didn’t feel right in my spirit,” she said, “because I believe that God is love.”
What Oprah did not understand, or would not understand, is that a loving God must be a jealous God—jealous of any lie that would steal His children away from Him and send them after false gods. As I explain in my new book The Faith, we need those doctrines to guard us against just the kind of untruths that Oprah, one of the most influential people in America, is now peddling.
Sadly, millions fall for this, especially when it becomes Oprah’s religion. There has never been a more urgent time or need, as I write in my new book The Faith, “for us to know and defend the truth before millions more are sucked in to the old claims of the New Age.”
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From BreakPoint®, April 28, 2008, Copyright 2008, Prison Fellowship Ministries. Reprinted with the permission of Prison Fellowship Ministries. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced or distributed without the express written permission of Prison Fellowship Ministries. “BreakPoint®” and “Prison Fellowship Ministries®” are registered trademarks of Prison Fellowship
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Some believe that Oprah will be blessed by God because of all the good things she has done-helping the poor etc. She probably means well and thinks she is doing the world a good service. Her message, and not just recently by the way, leads people away from the TRUTH. That is not without eternal consequences for those she leads off in the wrong direction and for herself. One of the B rapture movies had a line in it that went something like this: Howie Mandrel says to Gary Busey, "The trouble is that people did not believe in God". Gary's character replies with something like this, "No, the problem isn't that people don't believe in God-they don't believe HIM" I think that line really spoke volumes. We believe in God. But.. we want God to fit our image and give him a makeover to fit our own design-anything to not believe in what God tells us to believe. It embarrasses me that there was a time when I thought I did know what truth was and it was a half baked rendition of what I liked in the Bible and rejection of what I thought was outdated or figured God meant it for "those people" and not me. God's truth doesn't change-a lesson I am blessed to have learned.
I did not read the New Planet book, nor will I ! There is only one way to salvation and that I through Jesus . I watch a video on godtube and I heard Oprah saying we are God or the Creator ! I pray God opens her eyes, the Bible speaks of things like this happening, There is only one God .and Oprah ain't Him! I stop watching Oprah after this guy who wrote this book was on the show and I will not watch Oprah again A lot of my friends and family stop watching the Oprah show , her money will not get her into heaven , yes she has done good things , but the Bible says not by works but by faith , Oprah...should know God see's all .
I used to put Oprah up on a pedestal until all this happened. I was so excited to be a part of her book club and class online. But I have my limits when it comes to my faith. People will fail you no matter how much you admire them. I still adore her for all the kindness she’s shown to the human race – all around the world! She’s used her riches well and God will bless her for all that. But no one messes with my faith in God. Christians like me would know that only God never fails. We need to be careful with who we place on our pedestals and watch who we follow. Oprah cannot give us eternal life no matter how rich she is. Eternal life can only be found in the TRUTH which is in Jesus Christ.
I read "A New Earth" I admire Oprah AND I'm a Christian!!! The book does not say we are God it says we should look to God!! It's so sad that Oprah and Eckhart are only working towards peace and tolerance and you people are busy trying to make them out to be demons. Why? there's a book to sell. Last time I checked there were more serious problems in the world. WAR!!! AIDS!!! HUNGER!!! DO SOMETHING FOR PEOPLE, ANIMALS, AND THE PLANET. Oprah is the least of our problems. She is only asking us to love one another. Get real people. this is plain stupid.
I don't mind the author posting his book. IMO the only thing of importance is his message, & there's no escaping it is a sound one. The enemy of our souls will use people like Oprah to mislead as well as deceive. Sure many here could spot the fraud many miles away, but what of the majority of our Christian brethren who have no true theology?
Prayer is what is needed for all involved!
Chuck Colson is not promoting his own book! This is a firm brother in Christ!! I will come to my brothers defense, although he doesn't really need me to, the LORD will defend Him and anyone of His children!
Chuck Colson is "speaking the truth in love" and many would do well to heed what he is saying!
Many are being led away from Jesus Christ, by these false "religions". Oprah clearly doesn't know Jesus Christ, personally, it is evident in the fruit of her life, and I am not judging her, I am looking at the fruit in her life, being such a public figure, it is necessary to look at what she is saying in light of the Gospel of JESUS CHRIST! and this is FALSE!!!
Be warned: "many will come in the end days, teaching destructive heresies, things taught by demons!" When you deny that Jesus Christ is not the only way, you are turning people away from Christ. John 14:6, JESUS said, "I am THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE, no man cometh unto the FATHER BUT through ME! NO WAY ELSE> ONE WAY JESUS!!!!
I read that some are not wanting to confront Oprah as they are afraid of her, being so powerful, well NO ONE is more powerful than JESUS CHRIST!!!
IT is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the LIVING GOD!!!
I pray for Oprah every day now, and many others who are following her and NOT JESUS CHRIST! It's all about JESUS not about us...get your eyes off yourself and on to HIM, HE died for us not Oprah or anyone else....HE gave His life so we could be set free from THE DEATH of this world!
WAKE UP O SLEEPER!! ARISE!!!! In Jesus Name, and For HIS GLORY!
No flesh shall glory in HIS presence! God bless you all!
My church family is praying that her eyes be open. She is in the same folly that my FORMER pastor Bishop Carlton Pearson. One of the Bible teachers used to attend Bishop Pearson's church before he changed. In her Bible study every week she prays for him. Both of them are in very dangerous territory. They need the Lord to intervene. As we pray He will do all He can to get them to see what they are doing. However it will be up to them to yield to the Lord.
Which box is Oprah referring? A coffin? Then maybe she is referring to herself as God?
argyle86:
Oprah "took God out of the box"? since when do humans have the ability to take God anywhere, WOW, I wonder if she knows how much blasphemy is in a statement like that. I pray she has he eyes opened and repents.
Well, you have to remember that there is video evidence (available on YouTube and elsewhere) from Oprah's show, during one of her more "spiritual" episodes, in which after having heard from an apparently New Age woman in the audience, Oprah declares that "there can't possibly be just one way [to God]." A woman in her audience raises her hand and asks Oprah, "What about Jesus?" To which Oprah responds, "What ABOUT Jesus?"
The New Age woman wisely stays out of the conversation during Oprah and her audience-mate's discussion ...
Video link: http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Wolves/oprah-fool.htm
Colson's plugging his new book seems a bit self-serving to me - would have been better if he hadn't mentioned that...
Oprah "took God out of the box"? since when do humans have the ability to take God anywhere, WOW, I wonder if she knows how much blasphemy is in a statement like that. I pray she has he eyes opened and repents.
Chuck is dead on with this one. Same New Age Movement garbage repackaged. It's really disturbing that the weak minded who think that Oprah can do no wrong will fall for this nonsense and thus be led down a dangerous path of separation from God as the scriptures talked about in the great falling away. This is a time for intercessory prayer that our brothers and sisters in Christ will not be deceived.